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Increasingly shoppers and bargain hunters are looking at the price tag rather than the brand when they are buying goods. With the increase in the market share of discount shopping stores such as Matalan, Primark, TJ Hughes, Aldi and Lidl etc. shoppers have and ever-growing choice when looking for cut price bargains with main stream retailers struggling to compete.

Some well-known chains, such as BHS and Marks & Spencer, have started looking over their shoulders as shoppers defect to the lower priced competitors. The supermarkets are also a big player when it comes to this particular sector with the likes of Asda and its George fashion label and Tesco clothing commanding an increasing market share especially with online shopping, the supermarkets offer some unbelievable bargains especially for children’s clothes and school uniforms for which they’ve become virtually untouchable on pricing. The only way for the traditional stores to compete is on the quality, although the overall quality of the low-cost clothing is normally very good and adequately fit for its purpose.

For other sectors such as electrical, household goods etc. the market is just as difficult with the discount shopping stores offering these popular discount electrical lines at constantly reduced prices especially again the supermarkets with their enormous bulk buying power and high footfall. European retailers Aldi and Lidl are getting in on the game offering items such as TV’s, MP3 players and computer goods at mark down prices, they are big in the household sector selling everyday items including DIY and seasonal speciality clothing such as ski wear, running and cycling sports clothing, with the deals and offers changing on a weekly basis they manage to keep it fresh and appealing.

Shoppers will visit these stores just to have a look at the offers, pulling in customers that may not have normally visited, increasing the probability of selling groceries at the same time, taking the business off the stores that they would normally visit. Many of these discount stores are present in the town and city centres making them convenient and easy to find, they use modern advertising to attract shoppers with specific bargains and offers that are hard to beat. This is going to be the trend for many years to come so the traditional high street stores are going to have to play catch up or they’ll always be in the shadows of the new discount shopping retailers.

By: James Stephen McGuire

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